Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valenzuela and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Valenzuela: $552 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Valenzuela
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Valenzuela Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Valenzuela

🇵🇭 Philippines

$552

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Valenzuela and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Valenzuela and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $552 per month in Valenzuela vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Valenzuela $552
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,208 per month in Valenzuela vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Valenzuela $1,208
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Valenzuela vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Valenzuela $1,864
Chiang Mai $1,979

Valenzuela is about 41% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Valenzuela and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Valenzuela 59% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ₱247

$2.24 ฿75.6

73.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.61 ₱1,058

$19.00 ฿641

-12.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.74 ₱174

$5.55 ฿187

-50.63%

Cappuccino

$2.00 ₱128

$1.67 ฿56.5

19.76%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₱35.46

$0.64 ฿21.55

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.44

$0.31 ฿10.31

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 ₱79.0

$2.36 ฿79.6

-47.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱98.2

$3.66 ฿124

-57.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₱105

$1.95 ฿65.8

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₱69.2

$1.44 ฿48.48

-24.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₱63.3

$1.33 ฿45.04

-25.56%

Eggs

$2.05 ₱131

$2.28 ฿77.1

-10.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.97 ₱316

$16.45 ฿555

-69.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 ₱209

$2.78 ฿93.9

17.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.78 ₱432

$9.31 ฿314

-27.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ₱140

$2.35 ฿79.4

-6.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₱101

$0.97 ฿32.80

62.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 ₱147

$1.60 ฿53.9

44.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ₱67.1

$1.50 ฿50.6

-30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 ₱110

$1.28 ฿43.12

34.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 ₱109

$1.10 ฿37.19

54.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ₱40.99

$0.71 ฿23.82

-9.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₱30.60

$0.49 ฿16.37

-2.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.62 ₱167

$4.14 ฿140

-36.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 ₱484

$17.52 ฿591

-56.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ₱59.7

$1.61 ฿54.5

-41.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₱124

$2.78 ฿94.0

-30.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.71

$0.87 ฿29.31

-73.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.23 ₱843

$54.1 ฿1,826

-75.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 ₱40.80

$1.16 ฿39.06

-44.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.37

$0.53 ฿17.80

-60.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 ₱121

$2.42 ฿81.8

-21.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱75.9

$1.45 ฿48.90

-17.93%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

-0.26%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-28.43%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$138 ₱8,776

$62.2 ฿2,098

121.63%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$15.92 ₱1,014

$12.17 ฿411

30.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.98 ₱1,973

$20.12 ฿679

53.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.07 ₱1,215

$37.31 ฿1,259

-48.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ₱408

$6.49 ฿219

-1.23%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$130 ₱8,270

$736 ฿24.8K

-82.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,357 ₱468.6K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-50.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.67 ₱1,826

$53.4 ฿1,801

-46.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.33 ₱1,231

$24.64 ฿831

-21.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.3 ₱4,414

$91.5 ฿3,087

-24.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.9 ₱3,435

$71.9 ฿2,428

-25.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 ₱63.5K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-0.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₱49.1K

$633 ฿21.4K

21.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$578 ₱36.8K

$590 ฿19.9K

-1.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.57

21.18%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Valenzuela: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valenzuela

$185 33.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 48.9% $90

Groceries & Markets

Valenzuela

$167 30.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 40.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Valenzuela

$77 14%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 41% $32

Eating Out

Valenzuela

$76 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 2.1% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Valenzuela

$32 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 57.7% $18

Getting Around

Valenzuela

$16 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 287% $46

Accommodation & Living

Valenzuela

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17 in Valenzuela versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $167 vs $234 – making Valenzuela the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Valenzuela

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

14:38 2:38 PM

1 h behind Valenzuela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

714,978

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.08 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Valenzuela Chiang Mai 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Valenzuela
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Valenzuela vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 69% more than Valenzuela, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $829 per month in Valenzuela and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $130 per month in Valenzuela and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Valenzuela, where all-in costs run around $552, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Valenzuela it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $552 in Valenzuela to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.